Is adoption right for you?

Adopting a dog can be an incredibly rewarding decision, but wanting a dog and being ready to share your life with one are not always the same thing.

Before you start looking at adoption profiles, it is worth thinking honestly about what bringing a dog into your life could mean. Not just the walks, companionship and good days, but the cost, responsibility, compromises and unexpected challenges that can come with caring for another living being.

There is no perfect home and there is no perfect adopter. But there does need to be enough time, stability, flexibility and willingness to meet a dog’s needs, including when life with them turns out differently from the picture you had in your head.

This guide will help you think through some of the questions worth asking before you decide to adopt.

Your everyday life

Before adopting, think about what an ordinary week actually looks like for you. How much time are you away from home? How predictable is your routine? What happens on busy days, weekends or when plans change?

Some dogs will fit relatively easily into an existing routine. Others may need significant changes, particularly during the first weeks or months after adoption.

It is also worth thinking about the things you enjoy doing. If you travel frequently, spend long days away from home or enjoy a very spontaneous lifestyle, who will care for your dog when they cannot come with you? Equally, having an active lifestyle does not necessarily mean you need an active dog. The dog you adopt may not enjoy cafés, busy places, long hikes or accompanying you everywhere.

Time and commitment

The cost of adopting a dog goes far beyond the adoption fee.

There are the regular expenses you can plan for, such as food, preventative healthcare, routine veterinary checks, vaccinations, equipment and dog care. But there are also costs you cannot always predict. Your dog may become ill or develop and ongoing medical condition that was not necessarily anticipated at the time of adoption.

The ongoing cost of behaviour support may also become part of the financial commitment to your dog. You may need help from a qualified trainer or behaviour consultant, and in some cases your behaviour consultant may ask for a veterinary investigation into pain, before you're able to being your work together.

This does not mean you need unlimited financial resources to adopt a dog, but it does mean thinking realistically about what you are able to afford if your dog needs more than routine care.

Your home and household

The moment a newly adopted dog joins you at home, the dynamic changes for everyone, including resident pets.

It is worth thinking about whether your home, the people in it and the animals already living there are suited to bringing another dog into the household. Adoption needs to be a joint decision, where everyone understands the time, commitment and patience involved.

It is important to consider the impact the arrival of a new dog may have on children, particularly if the dog needs space and time to settle and adjust to their surroundings.

If you already have resident animals at home, do you know they would enjoy the company of another dog?

Introductions can be managed carefully, but compatibility cannot be guaranteed by the rescue before your dog arrives. It's important to consider the space you have available, access to outdoor areas, shared entrances, resting spaces and potential escape routes.

Would you feel comfortable managing animals who have to live separately over an extended period of time?

Case study

Maggie was adopted from a foster home in the UK, where she had been sharing her space with other animals. On arrival in her new home she was overly excitable with the resident 2 cats, chasing and barking at them.

Her family had to put management in place, dividing their flat into two separate areas. Maggie lived on one side, the cats on the other. They split their time to ensure everyone had company, while they worked on lowering Maggie's excitement, rewarding calm interactions and building the cats' confidence around a dog in their space.

The cats and Maggie now live peacefully together, but it took months of patience, effort and careful management to reach the stage they could safely and happily co-exist.

What are you hoping for?

When it comes to hopes and dreams for life with a dog, it can help to separate the things you would like from the things you genuinely need.

The dog you adopt may not enjoy busy places, travelling, meeting new people or interacting with other dogs. They may need quieter walks than you imagined, more time alone, or find it hard to switch off and relax. Their personality may also change as they settle, meaning you see behaviours that were not apparent in a rescue environment.

If living with a dog who can comfortably socialise, travel and join you on outings is essential, this is a useful information to recognise before adoption. There is nothing wrong with having certain criteria, and being honest with the rescue is essential. The more accurately the rescue team understands your life and what you are hoping for, the better chance they have of helping you find a dog whose needs fit with yours.

Remember, you don't need a solution for every possible problem...

You don't need to have a solution for every possible problem before you adopt. But preparing for the fact that you may need to ask for help, re-organise your space and routine or reconsider what is working for both you and your dog is an important part of being prepared.

Thinking about adopting but not sure
this is the right time?

A Pre Adoption Consultation gives you the opportunity to talk through your circumstances, any worries you have and what you may need to consider before taking the next step.